wfn.org | Pastors of black churches to explore unique challenges

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Sept. 13, 2000 News media contact: Linda Green·(615)742-5470·Nashville,
Tenn.     10-31-71B{407}

By United Methodist Service

United Methodist pastors of African-American churches will gather Jan. 8-11
in Dallas to discuss the challenges they share in growing healthy
congregations in a predominantly white denomination.

"Passion and Authority: Rekindling the Gift of God Within You" is the theme
for the national convocation, which will follow up a similar event in 1999.
It is expected to attract at least 400 people to the Hyatt Regency Hotel for
learning, development, discovery and dialogue.

The convocation is designed to inform, encourage and inspire clergy who have
primary responsibility for the spiritual health of African-American United
Methodist congregations, said the Rev. Vance P. Ross, chairman of the
event's design team and pastor of the multiethnic First United Methodist
Church in Hyattsville, Md. 

More than 2,500 of the United Methodist Church's 37,000 congregations are
African American. The denomination's Board of Discipleship in Nashville,
Tenn., is sponsoring the convocation.

Living in a predominantly European-American denomination while attempting to
develop healthy congregations has been a challenge, Ross said. Most
African-American churches have experienced membership declines since the
dismantling of the segregated Central Jurisdiction in 1968, when the
Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches merged, he said.

"Worship style, relevant Christian education, a career understanding of
itinerancy, social climate and cultural compromise often discredited United
Methodist congregations that attempted to reach black people," Ross said.
"Over the decades, these factors have continued to plague our denomination."

Although church growth has surged in pockets across the denomination, it has
not affected the black United Methodist Church, he said.
 
"A crucial factor in this malaise has been the need for effective training
among black clergy who, while well trained at United Methodist seminaries,
have not received the kind of learning that effects church growth and
community relevance," Ross said.

Pastors were encouraged by the overwhelming response and impact of the 1999
convocation. Ross said the pastors who will be leading the 2001 convocation
have, by and large, gone into small-membership churches and built them into
medium-sized and then large-membership churches. 
 
A critical goal of the convocation is to have the bishops and their cabinet
members and council staff people discuss what can be done to help
African-American United Methodist churches not just survive but thrive, Ross
said.

"These pastors providing leadership can be helpful not merely to the people
who are spiritual leaders of local churches," he said. "They will help the
conference and denominational spiritual leaders to see their role in
developing strong congregations. It is crucial that we have those
representatives present."
 
Convocation leaders will include United Methodist clergy who are recognized
for their leadership in the African-American community. They will include
Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, pastor, Suzette T. Caldwell, director of prayer, and
Hanq Neal, minister of music, all from Windsor Village United Methodist
Church, Houston; McAllister Hollins, pastor, and Cynthia Wilson, pastor of
music and worship, both from Ben Hill United Methodist Church, Atlanta;
Carlyle F. Stewart, pastor at Hope United Methodist Church, Southfield,
Mich.; Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, co-pastors at St. John's United Methodist
Church, Houston; Zan Holmes, pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church,
Dallas; Benita Rollins, pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist Church,
Warrensville, Ohio; Dorothy Watson Tatem, director of the Office of Urban
Ministries for the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference; James R. King,
bishop of the Louisville (Ky.) Area.; Alfreda Wiggins, pastor at John Wesley
United Methodist Church, Baltimore; and Emmanuel Cleaver, pastor at St.
James United Methodist Church, Kansas City, Mo.
 
Registration information, forms and schedule are available from the Board of
Discipleship at
http://www.gbod.org/evangelism/events/african_american/power.html online.
Details also are available by contacting Ross at vphilip@aol.com or (301)
927-6133, or Debra Carvin at the Board of Discipleship at dcarvin@gbod.org,
(877) 899-2780 or (615) 340-7051.

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United Methodist News Service
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